Why Axe Woves From The Mandalorian Looks So Familiar

Chapter 11 of The Mandalorian introduced us to a host of cool new characters, from Star Wars: The Clone Wars character Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) to Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks). What's more, we even got the long-awaited confirmation that the fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano exists within the confines of the Disney+ hit show. 

The Mandalorian is a series that exclusively casts great talent. As such, it often doubles as a wonderful game of "where have I seen that face before?" In this particular episode, arguably the most naggingly familiar visage belongs to the amazingly named Axe Woves, the third member of Bo-Katan's Mandalorian troupe. While most sci-fi fans have little trouble recognizing genre legend Katee Sackhoff, and anyone with a cursory familiarity with sports entertainment will probably recognize Banks, you might have more trouble remembering where you have seen the actor playing Woves before. 

Let's take a look at the reason Axe Woves from The Mandalorian looks so familiar.

Simon Kassianides has been in the acting game since 2004, so it's no surprise that you might have seen him pop up on your screen every now and then. The biggest role of the British actor's early career came in 2008, when he faced off against none other than James Bond himself. Kassianides' role in Quantum of Solace is Yusef Kabira, a member of the criminal organization known as Quantum, and a honeypot operative who seduces women who work in the intelligence community. He operates by arranging fake kidnappings, in which he's supposedly abducted and will only be released if the target agrees to give government information as a ransom. Unfortunately for him, one of his former targets was James Bond's (Daniel Craig) lost love Vesper Lynd (Eva Green). As such, Bond tracks Kabira down and confronts him just as the criminal is targeting the Canadian intelligence operative Corinne Veneau (Stana Katic). 

Perhaps surprisingly, Kabira is one of the few Bond bad guys who survives their confrontation with the agent, who is rather famous for liberally using his license to kill. While the villain fully expects to die and even asks Bond to "make it quick," 007 instead opts to spare Kabira's life and lets MI6 arrest him.

If you missed Kassianides' stint as a Bond bad guy, you might be familiar with the actor's next prominent role. From 2014 to 2017, Kassianides appeared on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Sunil Bakshi, a high-ranking HYDRA member who starts out as the second-in-command to Dr. Daniel Whitehall (Reed Diamond) on the quest to retrieve the Kree Diviner known as the Obelisk. He's also the handler of Carl "The Absorbing Man" Creel (Brian Patrick Wade), a formidable supervillain whose ability to absorb the properties of the elements he touches proves problematic for the protagonists. 

Though Bakshi suffers his share of embarrassments and misfortunes, he's also an intelligent villain and a surprisingly adept combatant, who even gets to fight Phil Coulson (Clark Cregg). He also survives considerably longer than you might expect — and even gets a particularly cool death scene, courtesy of a very visually impressive Splinter Bomb from Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge). 

In 2019, Kassianides entered the windy political climate of Chicago on Pearson, the spin-off show of Aaron Korsh's popular USA Network legal drama Suits. The political drama centers on popular Suits character Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres), who relocates from New York to Chicago and becomes the fixer for the Windy City's mayor, Bobby Novak (Morgan Spector). Kassianides joined the main cast as Nick D'Amato, a mysterious police officer who's in charge of Novak's security, and soon becomes Pearson's driver. Over the course of the season, we also find out that he's Novak's secret half-brother, and a guardian of hidden knowledge.    

In an interview with Screen Spy, Kassianides let the readers know just how much he loves the role, and the way his character interacts with Pearson. "There's a few secrets he'll do anything to keep from Jessica Pearson," he said. "So he decides to stay close to her, becoming her driver. Needless to say, with her skills, keeping anything from her is a challenge. But she fast learns that Nick isn't easy to read or play. There's an exciting meeting of characters with these two."

Unfortunately, USA Network cancelled Pearson after just one season (via TV Line). Then again, with roles like Axe Woves coming his way, it's probably safe to say that we'll see plenty more of Kassianides in the future.